Could someone explain this article to me?

Stunted redwoods, flooded campgrounds and a mighty Yosemite waterfall reduced to a trickle.



Those are a few of the dire consequences facing 10 California parks over the next century because of rapidly changing climate patterns, according to a new study by an environmental think tank.



"We're trying to illustrate that the ways we affect the climate affect the places we love," said Stephen Saunders, a former deputy at the U.S. Department of the Interior under President Bill Clinton and president of the nonprofit Rocky Mountain Climate Organization in Denver. "It's not just about ice caps and polar bears. This is going to hit us at home."



The report released Tuesday by Saunders' group and the Natural Resources Defense Council, titled "California's National Parks in Peril: the Threats of Climate Disruption," found that unless humans slash carbon emissions in the near term, some of the Golden State's natural wonders will disappear over the next 90 years.



Ripple effect of heat

The main culprit is a steadily warming atmosphere stoked by a cauldron of heat-trapping pollution. If the use of fossil fuels continues to increase at a moderate clip, average temperatures in Yosemite National Park could climb by 7.5 degrees in the latter third of the 21st century.



Temperatures in Muir Woods National Monument and Point Reyes National Seashore could increase by about 6 degrees - making them higher than historic temperatures in Santa Barbara. Highs in places such as Joshua Tree National Park and the Mojave National Preserve could top the blistering temperatures normally found in Death Valley, the hottest spot in North America.



Those few degrees have drastic implications for water supply, vegetation growth, insect infestation, loss of animal habitat and wildfire risk, Saunders reported.



Many parks affected

Among the study's most startling predictions:



-- Joshua trees, which need low seasonal temperatures to produce seeds, could disappear from the namesake Southern California park.



-- Beaches, wetlands and picnic areas at Point Reyes National Seashore could be inundated as sea levels rise between 2 and 4.7 feet.



-- Less snow and more rain could mean earlier, longer and more frequent dry spells for Yosemite Falls.



-- Fewer foggy days in Muir Woods and Redwood National Park could limit the growth of sequoias.



The 34-page report relied on weather modeling and greenhouse gas data from the California Climate Change Center, U.S. National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey and UC San Diego, among others.



In addition to Tuesday's report, the group has studied climate change impacts on parks across Virginia and in several states in the Western United States. One of Saunders' most staggering conclusions is that the glaciers in Montana's Glacier National Park could melt in the next two decades.



Tuesday's findings echo those outlined by others, including researchers in the Bay Area, the U.S. government and the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In fact, many scientists long involved in those efforts now believe Earth's atmosphere is warming even more quickly than thought just a few years ago.



Measuring impacts

A California Energy Commission paper last year concluded that the state is already experiencing measurable impacts because of climate change, including more frequent, longer and larger wildfires, a warming Lake Tahoe, a shorter winter rainy season, and falling snowpack levels.



Both studies contend climate change poses grave threats to California's economy. Visitors to California's national parks, for instance, spend about $1.2 billion each year.



Climate change also has taken on political urgency this fall, as California voters will decide next week the fate of AB32, the state's landmark 2006 measure that intends to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020, returning them to 1990 levels. Opponents want to freeze the regulations with Proposition 23, saying moving forward with limits on greenhouse gases will stifle job growth in California amid a sluggish economy. Supporters insist AB32's policies will boost a burgeoning green technology industry and stave off some of the most devastating effects of climate change.



Regardless of the election's outcome, most experts agree that the pollution humans have pumped into the air for generations will be with us for some time.



"Even a scenario that drastically curtails emissions of greenhouse gases may still lead to undesirable trends in warming and sea level rise," the energy commission report stated







i rly need help :P please thanks :)Could someone explain this article to me?
The article essentially tries to draw focus towards the issue of global warming from a more personal standpoint. Most of us can barely imagine polar ice caps and polar bears and how they are affected by the warming temperatures, but the effects in the United States are easier to relate to. The list of conclusions the article gives you summarize the negative effects global warming is having right here in the United States.



Best-Blades.com
this is all rubbish. Ninety years???



Everything...EVERYTHING...is going to be different in two years.



It can't be stopped.



The Play is Written.Could someone explain this article to me?
This all article is related to Global warming
Their predictions are getting crazier due to their greed . 7.5 degrees they pulled out of the

air.
The article is mainly propaganda, it makes assertions but provides no data. They cite sources like the California Climate Change Center, UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and NRDC. All left wing organizations that promote government control of the environment.



These people have been wrong on every part of global warming. They didn't mention climate-gate, which showed the scientists emailing each other about hiding data, and punishing their enemies.



Global Cooling, 1974

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/articl…



Did you know In 2007, the UK High Court ruled “Inconvenient Truth” contained “Nine Key Scientific” errors?” The judge ruled it, a "political film" not a science film!. They lied to us.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthne…



Climategate emails document researchers “hiding data,” "adding temps,” their hate for dissenters. They lied to us %26amp; adjusted "data."

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesd…



Russians confirm UK scientists MANIPULATED DATA to exaggerate global warming

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesd…



Moving weather stations in China!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/20…



The debate is over, Global Warming was a hoax. Even the commies agree.



Here is a great article by Michael Crichton, MD (Jurassic Park, ER) on Complexity Theory and Environmental Management. It shows how we screwed up the National Parks, way before GW.

http://www.crichton-official.com/speech-…